An important part of any public relations campaign is monitoring response to clients and events. All too often, negative feedback finds an easily-accessible breeding place in online forums.
For many newspapers, anonymous posts in online comment sections have posed a problem as the discussion has turned negative. Some publications have full-time employees that police comment sections, while others have disabled any public comments at all. Others use third party sites, such as Facebook, where anonymity is not an option.
These instances lend themselves to the greater issue of transparency in both public relations and media. Transparency in an organization is linked to trust and as major corporations have had flaws exposed over the past few months, there has been an increase in public demand for transparency.
PR agencies play a critical role in helping companies managing trust and building communications programs that factor in the importance of transparency. By increasing communications, seeking public input and making staff more visible, companies can establish an image of true corporate responsibility.